The Seven Gifts Of A Long “Healthy Enough” Marriage
My husband and I have been married almost thirty years. A while back we started trying out Blue Apron, the service that brings weekly meals and recipes to your door. His joking words the other morning were, “I’m liking Blue Apron. It’s nice after soooo loooong together to have...
168 SelfWork: The What, Why, When, Where and How of Setting Boundaries
My dad used to say to us as kids, “Your rights end where someone else’s nose begins.” And that’s where I began learning about boundaries. Psychological boundaries are those that define where your own personal limits are as to what is emotionally harmful, and what is not. And that is unique to...
How To Make A Difference For Others, And For You
What I do for a living offers constant perspective. I hear every day about what can happen in people’s lives, both the good and the not so good. I hear about tragedy, abuse, and I hear about tremendous courage in the facing of it. But I also hear about the kindness of others. How a...
166 SelfWork: Finding Your Way Back to Love
Valentines can hold as much angst for people as the holiday season. And if you have conflict or estrangement or alienation within your relationship, then that pain can become more distinct. Today we’re going to focus on what can cause these kinds of problems. But as usual, we’re also focusing on...
Four Skills To Keep Long Distance Relationships Thriving
When people think of long distance relationships, the images first conjured up are usually those of romantic partners living far apart from each other. However, long distance relationships can take many forms.
What is the Best Valentines Gift You Can Give Yourself?
In the second grade, I was elected “Valentine Queen” of my class. I wore a glittery paper crown all day long and dreamed of future ascensions. Miss Pine Bluff. Miss Arkansas. Miss America. I remember the surprising happiness that seeped inside of me, wondering finally (after all of...
Five Ways to Keep Fairy Tale Relationships From Becoming Nightmares
After a bad break-up or a divorce and your relationship is over, you often look back and wonder, “What was I thinking? How did I not see this coming? How did I ever think this was going to work out well?” It’s true, of course, that hindsight is 20-20. But what causes you to miss...
Are You As Grown Up As You Think You Are? Four Steps to Take A Look
What does it mean to feel grown up? Feeling mature perhaps, or decisive. Knowing that you’ve figured some things out — that you’re no longer following more adolescent impulses. You can be more objective about yourself and others. Maybe it means feeling competent to take care of...
SelfWork 160: The Sexless Marriage. Is There A Way Back?
Welcome to 2020 and more SelfWork! First, thank you to everyone who’s purchased Perfectly Hidden Depression and left reviews. Those show up on Amazon as a verified purchase and are extremely important, offering even more validity. So if you’ve been reading PHD, and when you’re done, two sentences...
The Question That Will Kill Good Parenting And Seven Ways To Avoid It
When my son was a three year-old, and “No!” was his favorite expression, my husband and I decided upon a strategy. We hadn’t had a clue how draining parenting could be, and we only had one kid. What did we do? We banned the word “tired” from our vocabulary. Of course,...
Dr. Margaret’s Book Now Available!
I'm thrilled to announce my new podcast has earned over three quarter of a million downloads! Join thousands of subscribers and tune into SelfWork. It's available here on the website under the tag "SelfWork" and for subscription on iTunes. We talk about similar things as here, but go even further in-depth. Hope you'll join those who listen weekly!
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